Posted by violette on July 30, 2010, at 12:45:06
In reply to Racing/Anxiety Thoughts, Need Opinion, posted by cycling on July 29, 2010, at 14:49:07
Hi Cycling,
I was just thinking your PDoc doesn't know you well because I think it's highly possible that you don't know you well.
If your PDoc doesn't have alot of experience with D&A, You'd likely get the best treatment with a dual diagnosis specialist. Additionally, you'd probably find out the best meds/course of treatment from the NA or AA people. My friend used to go there, and the experienced people at her group had watched dozens of people become bipolar after quitting D&A. Those people really know how to deal with this stuff.
Then again, alot of people don't like being in one of those programs-because if you were assigned a sponser you'd have to do the 12 steps. So if you don't want to do the program, you'd probably not have an experienced person to work with closely. Either way, you could still show up at a few meetings and get information from experienced people-you don't have to do the 12 steps to hang out there and talk to experienced people. That could be worth a try?
That's great you're doing therapy. Just be wary if its CBT-that type of therapy could just strengthen other emotional defense mechanisms while the source of them goes unaddressed (and new or worse symptoms could pop up later). It's helpful to just have someone to talk to regardless, but psychodyanmic therapy gets to the source of the symptoms, which are often emotional crap from the past.
Mood dysregulation can express as bipolar, ocd, anxiety, paranoia-whatever-can be addressed with therapy. Maybe someday you'll no longer need meds.
Perhaps you have always been bipolar, and I think it's good you are restarting the Klonopin-which can be a mood stablizer itself. At least till you get a feel for your symptoms by quitting the heavy drugs. If that doesn't work-you could add an AD or Zyprexa later. Klonopin isn't usually addictive since there are no immediate affects, though I guess it could be for some. I hated it as it just made me tired and gave me headaches. The Klonopin could be a temporary thing you change later after spending time and therapy and weaning off the heavier drugs to see what your main symptoms are. If it is mostly OCD anxiety, that is the more difficult one to treat...but especially at your age, it would be good to narrow them down now that you are not doing the heavy drinking.
Best of luck to you! :)
poster:violette
thread:956333
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100720/msgs/956452.html